Acute and chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization and infection are a major cause of human morbidity and mortality worldwide. P. aeruginosa is a Gram-negative, flagellated, opportunistic human pathogen typically colonizing and/or infecting debilitated and immunocompromised patients (Pier and Ramphal, 2010). In the respiratory tract, P. aeruginosa is one of the most common and lethal pathogens, responsible for acute ventilator-associated pneumonia with directly attributable mortality rates of 40% (Brewer et al., 1996). In individuals with cystic fibrosis, lifelong P. aeruginosa lung infection leads to respiratory failure and premature death (Prince, 1992). P. aeruginosa infections worsen the prognosis for bronchiectasis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients (Novosad and Barker, 2012). P. aeruginosa also plays a major role in the pathogenesis of extrapulmonary diseases, including urinary tract infection, skin infections in hospital burn units, and surgical wound and bloodstream infections.
Treatment of P. aeruginosa infections is complicated by the fact that this bacterial pathogen is notorious for being naturally resistant to a large range of antibiotics. Therefore, alternative treatment strategies are urgently needed for use in treating and preventing P. aeruginosa infections.